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How to Start a Handyman Business

Are you a handyman who can carry out a wide range of work, often involving several trades?

If so, starting a general services/ handyman business could be perfect for you. This article will show you how to start a hyandyman business. From repairing broken tiles and laying carpet to unblocking toilets and keeping gardens in decent shape, handymen are always in demand and many people like the disabled and elderly actively rely on them to be able to live their lives.

how-to-start-a-handyman-business

As a handyman, you’ll need to know the basics of painting, plumbing, cleaning, gardening and a few other trades. You won’t need to be an expert in any of them necessarily but will rely instead on your broad skill set which will lead to ever more demand as your reputation grows and you carry out more and more jobs successfully.

This is a business which is quick and easy to start and which might be more lucrative than you first think.

Step 1: Register Your Business & Get Insured

If you’re going to carry out work which has the potential to lead to damage or injury on other people’s property, it’s always best to operate a registered company such as an LLC.

Operating as an LLC has many legal benefits and can shield you from potential lawsuits should anything go wrong, and it will allow you to expense many of the tools you’ll need and some of your operating expenses.

Register your business with the appropriate local authorities and take out an insurance policy to cover injury, damage, or loss.

Once you’re registered and insured you can basically begin operating almost instantly, because handymen are the ‘Jacks of all trades’ and usually won’t require a license or formal qualifications.

Step 2: Get Tools and a Vehicle

Your daily jobs will range from cutting grass and trimming hedges and trees to painting walls, cleaning gutters and drains, and even the basics of renovating or upgrading homes such as fitting doors and blinds or lifting and laying carpets and flooring.

Pro Tip: For some jobs you will require a legally qualified tradesman, such as when wiring electrics or working with gas, so it’s also a good idea to establish a loose network of trustworthy, reliable people who may be looking for extra work on an ad hoc basis. These are the people you will recommend when the job is beyond your abilities and requires a registered professional. You can set up an arrangement with them to be paid per referral for extra revenue.

To carry out all of these jobs you’ll need a range of tools. You’ll require the following, at least:

General Tools: Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, socket sets, spanners, and various other general tools will be needed to carry out everyday tasks. Invest in high-quality tools for longevity and you’ll reap the rewards later.

Gardening Tools: Handymen work outdoors often and will require rakes, spades, a wheelbarrow, potentially a pitchfork and from time to time even a chainsaw for removing branches etc.

Cleaning Tools: Cloths, scrapers, wire brushes, hoses, power washers and protective items like gloves and a face shield or goggles will be required at some point.

You’ll also need a vehicle, such as a small van or utility truck to transport all of your tools from job to job. You can also brand your vehicle as a marketing tool, letting members of the local community know what services you are offering.

Step 3: Find Customers: How to Market Your Handyman Business

The handyman business requires marketing just like any other, but without a doubt, the best form of advertising in this business is word of mouth. Experienced handymen will tell you that a job well done always leads to more work, as people tell their friends and family members about you and the work you’ve done for them. In this sense, your work itself is your best marketing material.

That said, word of mouth can take time to spread and you might not help you so much at the beginning. You can still be proactive and put ads in local newspapers and community magazines as well as shop windows. Combine this with flyers and/or business cards and approaching local businesses and landlords directly to ask how you can be of service and you’ll soon land your first jobs.

The key to a steady and bountiful revenue stream in the handyman business is to keep customers coming back for more. Repeat customers will be your bread and butter in this game, so your target market people you think will likely need you regularly such as local stores and businesses as well as those unable to carry out physical work themselves.

Summary: How to Start a Handyman Business

While it sometimes seems like the only way to make it in business today is to design a new piece of technology or release an amazing app, the old fashioned, traditional services businesses are still hugely in demand.

No matter how much the world changes people will always need their yards brushed, their lawns mowed, their walls painted, roofs cleaned and homes repaired. In fact, the busier the world gets, the more people are going to rely on handymen to take care of the everyday things that have always and will always be necessary.

It may not be the most romantic business around and it may not require a three piece suit or client lunches, but a well-run, professional handyman business could be a lot more lucrative than you first think, and as your reputation for top-quality, fairly priced work grows, you may be surprised when you begin struggling to keep up with demand.